The 9mm and the .45 were handy little guns, but sales never took off, and the targeted law enforcement sales never materialized. The ability to use high-capacity pistol magazines also made it an "assault weapon" in some jurisdictions, and it was just better business to concentrate on "cowboy" rifles.

R.W.Dale

December 25, 2010, 11:50 AM

I had one and while they're a well made firearm they're not a particularly well designed one. They rely very heavily on a recoil buffer that isn't really large enough to dampen the too lightweight of a bolt for a blowback 9mm so +p is a no no. The trigger group is somewhat intricate and the housing is prone to melting if care isn't taken as to what solvents are used.

Having owned both the camp9 and the hi point I greatly prefered the m995

GCBurner

December 25, 2010, 12:06 PM

I had one and while they're a well made firearm they're not a particularly well designed one. They rely very heavily on a recoil buffer that isn't really large enough to dampen the too lightweight of a bolt for a blowback 9mm so +p is a no no. The trigger group is somewhat intricate and the housing is prone to melting if care isn't taken as to what solvents are used.

Having owned both the camp9 and the hi point I greatly prefered the m995
I've heard that the aftermarket Wolf heavy-duty recoil springs help save the buffer from damage. If the nylon buffer deteriorates, the stock can crack at the rear of the receiver. That's something to check when looking at a used one.

PO2Hammer

December 25, 2010, 12:12 PM

I'll agree with R.W.Dale. I've owned the 9mm and .45acp versions. I really disfigured the .45s receiver plastic (plastic, not polymer) with Gunscrubber. It was tacky for months and never looked right again.
Better recoil buffers are available now.
Evidently they just didn't sell well enough.
I had the Ruger PC-9, but that uses a very heavy bolt extension in the forearm and the recoil would swing the gun off target, making follow up shots much slower than they should be for such a puny cartridge in such a heavy rifle.
The Oly 9mm AR-15 style carbine was the best shooting 9mm I've ever tried.

potmetal

December 25, 2010, 12:17 PM

I had one years ago and generally liked it. It took S&W model 59 mags, which gave you a high cap. rifle. It's accuracy was good, but not outstanding. I remember at the time, we were told not to use +P ammo, or surplus steel cased ammo. This was the late 80's, maybe early 90's. I think we have better steel cased ammo now, but that's what they said then.
It was a fun plinker, but not good for much else. SKS rifles were flooding in at that time and were cheaper and offered a more powerful round that you get in surplus ammo for plinking, or soft points for hunting. I know alot of working class guys here that choose the SKS as their affordable deer/ target shooting gun.

candr44

December 25, 2010, 12:54 PM

I had a Camp 9 and liked it. I wanted one ever since they came out and cost under $200 at K-Mart. I finally got one and sold it shortly after I bought my Kel-Tec Sub 2000. The Kel-Tec made the Marlin look obsolete by far.

By the way General Tso you have a great chicken recipe.

General Tso

December 25, 2010, 02:47 PM

Thanks for the info. Sounds like I'll just stick with the 995 or save for a Beretta Storm.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

GCBurner

December 25, 2010, 03:09 PM

I had a Camp 9 and liked it. I wanted one ever since they came out and cost under $200 at K-Mart. I finally got one and sold it shortly after I bought my Kel-Tec Sub 2000. The Kel-Tec made the Marlin look obsolete by far.

The Marlin never had the "tacticool" factor going for it, either. If Marlin had made the whole thing out of polymer, and hung accessory rails all over it, it might still be in production. Especially since I see someone is modifying 72-round Suomi drum magazines to fit the Camp 9.
Getting one new for $200 wasn't a bad deal, either, as I see the used ones now going for about $600.

Trebor

December 26, 2010, 12:31 AM

I always wanted a Camp 9 and bought one a year or so ago. I thought my wife would also really like it, but after we both shot it a bit, we were both "meh" on the rifle. She prefers her M-1 Carbine and I didn't find it fun enough to shoot to justify owning it. Rather than keep it and never shoot it, I sold it.

I especially did NOT like the take down and reassembly procedure. It knocked the Ruger Mk II off the top of my "Guns I hate to take apart" list.

If you do buy one absolutely plan on replacing the buffer with a Blackjack buffer. The original on mine had disintergratd to uselessnes. Luckily the previous owner hadn't shot it very much, or very recently, or I'm sure the stock would have cracked.

A new buffer and a new Wolf recoil spring is a MUST for both the 9mm and especially the .45 ACP Camp Carbines.

Avenger29

December 26, 2010, 01:31 AM

I don't miss mine one bit. I don't think they are wonderful as many think they are and I don't blame Marlin one bit for discontinuing them.

+1 on the blackjack buffers and Wolff springs. I included a few spares of each when I sold my carbine so that the new owner would be in good shape. Both calibers are undersprung from the factory, and the .45 is especially so. Previous posters in this thread have pretty much discussed the other concerns, particuarly the plastic lower melting if it comes into contact with strong solvents.

Thanks for the info. Sounds like I'll just stick with the 995 or save for a Beretta Storm.

Lots of good info in this thread! I had always wanted one of the Marlin Camp 9's or the 45 versions but didn't know there were several issues. Also good info on the Ruger PC-9 as I had looked at them also but thought the weight was on the heavy side. Maybe I am better off for not making a purchase of any of the above!

GCBurner

December 26, 2010, 12:37 PM

Pistol calibre carbines are fun toys for plinking, easier to shoot well than a handgun, and have some utility for home defense in environments where over-penetration of your neighbors' walls might be a concern. The Marlin was handy and accurate, and looked more traditional and less "tactical" than a lot of the other stuff in its class.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm236/Yeratel_photos/Toys.jpg

RSVP2RIP

December 26, 2010, 12:44 PM

I had a Ruger PC9 that was very durable if utilitarian. The trigger was heavy and creapy but it was OK accuracy-wise, and very easy to take down and clean. You only needed to carry around a flathead screwdriver and a paperclip. They also made it in 40S&W but the chamber wasn't fully supported and you couldn't use aluminum cases (CCI Blazer) in it. If I were in the market for a dedicated pistol carbine, that would be the route I'd take again.